


Bar Talk

by JackMcGarrett



Series: East Side Story [2]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Drinking & Talking, Emotional Baggage, Talking, Unofficial Sequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:40:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26503042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JackMcGarrett/pseuds/JackMcGarrett
Summary: Eric's unsure of whether or not he wants to meet with his father. He needs to talk with someone about it, but it's hard to decide who. As tempted as he is to reach out to his family for their advice...he doesn't want to rock the boat, so to speak. His father isn't really well liked among the Williams' for obvious reasons, and if his father's only here to cause trouble...he doesn't want his mom to be hurt, or even his Uncle D to get upset.( Sort of a sequel to my double drabblePostcard)
Series: East Side Story [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1928590
Comments: 7
Kudos: 28





	Bar Talk

Eric had a few days to decide if he wanted to meet up with his father or not. The decision should have been extremely easy. His father hasn’t been in his life for most of it. What was the point of coming back now? 

All of the things that Eric needed him for he’s already learned! 

He knew how to tie his shoes, tie a tie, he knew how to ride a bike, he knew how to shave, how to drive! Hell, he even knows how to do his taxes! (Sure, that pretty much meant to go to a tax person on time but still!) All of the things a kid is supposed to learn from their parents, he learned from his mom or some other Williams! 

Had he been responsible enough and saved enough money to do so, the moment he turned eighteen he would have gotten his name changed to Williams as well! 

After all of those thoughts, Eric was pretty sure that somehow his dad learned he was doing pretty good for himself in Hawaii of all places, and needed help himself. He didn’t know the man well enough and after a few years of his family getting tired of talking about him when they thought the kids had gone to bed, they don’t bring him up anymore either. Eric could only _deduce_ and from being on the job long enough, his dad seemed like a dirtbag who would only stop by now because he was in trouble. He would only be dropping by to borrow money or because Eric could maybe pull some strings and get him out of some legal trouble. 

Which he wouldn’t. 

Sure, he was loyal to his family and would do anything for the Williams and anyone in Five-Oh. But that was different! They have proven to be there for him whenever he needed for no other reason than it’s the human thing to do!

Needless to say, he didn’t get much work done. When it was time to clock out, he grabbed his things, damned postcard included, and headed out. 

When he reached the parking lot he saw both the Commander’s Silverado and his uncle’s Camaro. Which meant if he waited, he could probably ask his uncle for some advice on what to do. 

Eric waited seven and a half minutes, yes he counted before he bolted to his car. Once in the driver's seat, he hit his head on the steering wheel and silently questioned what the hell he was thinking?!

He couldn’t ask his uncle! 

Without for sure knowing what it was his father wanted from him, involving anyone else from his family was a no-go. 

Not that Eric didn’t trust them…

But this seemed like very old news. A very old wound that had scabbed over and healed and left a stupid little scar that you only remembered every once in a while. 

If his father had tried to make contact with his mother first, he would have heard of it. If not from his mother who might be trying to protect him, then from Grace. She would have been told by Charlie from overhearing his Uncle complain. 

He didn’t want to bring them any ill feelings, so keeping this to himself, for now, was the only option. 

There _were_ people in his life he could, in theory, speak to. But the chances of them telling his uncle because they were trying to protect him were too high. 

Eric wasn’t a little boy anymore!

He was a man!

Which led him to a bar with hopes of finding an answer at the bottom of a bottle. 

He doesn’t go crazy. Sticks to beer and alternates with coke every two beers and orders a burger to help keep him from getting too drunk too quick. He had his little note pad and pen with him, so he tried to make a pros and cons lists. 

Pro

  * _~~Closure?~~_



Cons

  * Deadbeat asking son for money 
  * Mom’s feelings might get hurt
  * Uncle D’s anger 
  * Nonna might get her feelings hurt _**and**_ get angry. 
  * Grandpa will lose his shit
  * Deadbeat in trouble could ask for something that’ll cost me my job 
  * Could end up arrested 
  * Could end up broke 



Needless to say, he wasn’t feeling very confident about going. 

And yet…

He thinks he’ll regret it. Whether his father’s doing okay and does just want to reconnect, Eric wants the proper chance to tell him to fuck off. If his father’s the scumbag he’s already picturing in his head and only there because Eric’s now useful enough in his eyes, he can tell him to fuck off with the proper level of Williams’ Ire. 

And yet... _again_ , would meeting him at all give his father more leverage? Would ignoring him just be the better way to go? 

“Eric?”

Eric jumped a bit at hearing his name. Looking over he saw Adam and tried to come off as calm and collected, but after four beers and his anxiety...that didn’t happen. He nearly fell off his seat and Adam had to help him remain sitting upright. 

“H-hey...What’s-” Eric slightly panicked and thought his uncle might be here too. “Is the rest of Five-Oh here too?” 

That probably only made Adam’s concern grow, if his expression was anything to go by. “Um. No. I uh...I had something else to do today. I had something to drop off nearby and I thought I saw your car. Peeking in I saw you looking...like you might need a ride?” Adam’s eyes scanned over to the notepad. Eric tried to subtly cover it, but that went as well as keeping his balance on his stool. So Adam added, “Or a drinking bud?” 

Eric tried to smile through and shake his head, “‘m fine! Really! Jus’...just had a day. I can order an Uber when….when I’m done…” 

Adam took a seat and hailed the bartender for a beer for himself. “Well, my day just finished. You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to. I’m here to listen...if this is something you don’t want Danny to know about. For whatever reason.” 

Eric sighed before finishing up his beer and ordering another one when the bartender dropped off Adam’s. He reached into his pocket and showed Adam the torn up but patched up postcard. 

“My old man ain’t well regarded by the fam. Since I haven’t had any sort of talks about him from my ma or Uncle D, I’m kinda assuming he’s only reached out to me.” 

“I see,” Adam said as he looked over the postcard.

Eric wasn’t sure what he was trying to deduce from it. Probably wanting to find more meaning behind it than the obvious. But there was nothing more to get, if Eric wanted more, he’d have to meet him. But did he? 

“Seems like you got more reasons not to see him than you do to go see him. But closure can be a pretty powerful thing. Danny wouldn’t keep you from getting it.” Adam told him. 

“No. But he won’t be happy about it either.” Eric grumbled. When his beer arrived he chugged half of it before admitting to Adam something he’s never soberly told anyone. “I made Uncle D a father figure before he was supposed to be one.”

“Eric…”

“No, it’s true. When my dad bailed, it was always Uncle D who stepped up. My grandparents were a huge help but...I dunno, with my ma’s feeling like a failure in my grandparent’s eyes, she tried her best to do it on her own. When shit got too hard, it was Uncle D who was there. I learned to be a man from him. As much as I could before he got his own family and Grace was born and then taken from him…” He scoffed before taking another couple gulps of his beer. “I was _so_ jealous of Grace when I saw what lengths Uncle D would go for her...when my own father wouldn’t even call.” 

“Do you...want advice?” Adam carefully asked. 

He nodded. 

“Go see what he wants.” When Eric looked over and silently asked for more, Adam added. “Whatever he may say may not be what you want to hear. But the not knowing will haunt you. If you go and see him...whatever he says, you can work past it.”

“He’ll either want help or money cos he got caught up in some shady business venture,” Eric stated. 

“If it’s that, you can call your uncle and give him the pleasure of locking him up.” Adam tried to tease to help cheer Eric up. 

It slightly worked. Got Eric’s lips to twitch towards a smile. But he frowned as he said, “Or he could have gotten his shit together and wants to reconnect…” 

“And you don’t want to?” 

“Now that I got my life together? Now that I don’t _need_ a father? What’d be the point? Everyone else has done his work for him and now he gets to enjoy the fruit of other’s labors? To tell me I turned out okay without him and that should absolve his absence?” 

There was a long moment when neither of them spoke. In the end, Adam told Eric, “Whatever you decide...you don’t have to do it alone if you don’t want to. And if you don’t want to include Danny or any other Williams, call me. Okay?” 

Eric did his best to smile at Adam. It felt like no matter what, he was leaning more towards seeing his father after all. He’s not sure at all how that will leave him, but at least he now had some backup. “Thanks. And please don’t tell Uncle D about it. Not yet. This…” 

“Is about you. About your dealings with your father. Not about him wanting to kick his sister’s ex’s ass.” 

“Yeah. That. I love Uncle D. I owe...my life, my _freedom_ , to Uncle D. But this is something I gotta do on my own.” 

“There’s a story there,” Adam commented. 

Eric chuckled without humor, “A few actually. Some that even he ain’t the wiser of.” Looking at the torn-up postcard, and his list of pros and cons, he sighed as he pocketed them. 

He hopes, but doubts, the closure will be worth it.


End file.
